SILOAM SPRINGS -- John Brown University construction management students took first place at the second annual American Institute of Contractors Ethics Competition, a national construction ethics competition and conference hosted by the AIC in San Diego, Calif.
JBU students won the inaugural competition in 2015 and returned to defend their title in 2016.
"To be the sole champions of AIC's Ethics Competition is a significant representation of the character of JBU's construction management students," said David Ellingson, adjunct JBU instructor and team sponsor. "Because construction managers lead and direct all aspects of a construction project, it is vital that future professionals have a clear grasp on what ethical practice is."
The AIC seeks to provide national leadership in establishing and maintaining high ethical standards in construction management. The competition measures college students' abilities to apply the AIC Code of Ethics for Contractors to case studies that include illegal, unethical or unprofessional situations.
For the competition, university teams analyzed two case studies based on real scenarios involving dishonesty in the bidding process, unethical behavior in coworkers and conflict of interest. The teams were asked to write an essay and give two separate oral presentations of their analyses to a panel of judges and to an audience of nearly 100 industry professionals at the 2016 AIC Annual Forum.
Teams were evaluated based on how well they understood the AIC Code of Ethics and how accurately they applied it to the given scenarios.
Other universities represented were Texas A&M, California Polytech State University and Weber State University.
"The competition was an unforgettable experience that gave the team and me valuable insight into our chosen career," said Cody Phillips, senior construction management student. "Being a manager of a project is a huge responsibility, but it's also exciting to consider the potential impact we can have on the industry."
General News on 03/23/2016